Arts Council England review shelved

The review of Arts Council England has been halted due to the general election, with a decision on whether to continue with it in the hands of the next government, Arts Professional has learned.

Following the appointment of Lead Reviewer Mary Archer in March, the review team had been preparing to launch a consultation process with the arts and culture sector prior to submitting a report on its findings to ministers by July.

But government sources have confirmed that the consultation will not go ahead, with all work on the review paused while the general election, being held on 4 July, takes place.

• ACE Review: Sector to get say on public body's performance
• Open letter to Dame Mary Archer

A decision on whether to proceed with the review, or ditch it entirely, will be taken by the next government. 

A poll published on Friday (31 May) by Electoral Calculus put Labour on 46 per cent, the Conservatives on 19 per cent, Reform UK on 12 per cent, without any seats, and the Lib Dems on 10 per cent, gaining 48 seats. The first YouGov poll of the campaign is due to be published later today.

Asked last month about the review of Arts Council England, Shadow Culture Secretary Thangam Debbonaire said that, if Labour secures power, she would consider the findings of Archer's review, but would order her own if it does not address what she perceives as the key issues for the sector.

"I think you can't just leave something as important as the Arts Council just stuck in perpetuity," she said.

"We want a decade of national renewal and our Arts Council is central to that. A Labour government of yesteryear introduced the Arts Council. We want it to be the Arts Council at best it can possibly be."

'Core purpose'

Commenting today (3 June) on the pause in the review Shadow Culture Secretary Thangam Debbonaire says Labour remains committed to a review of the public funding body.

"Arts Council England has been given broad priorities and asked to reach into more and more areas. I think it's time to re-discover its core purpose," she said in a post on X.

"Labour is committed to reviewing ACE. We will consider how to best position it to face the opportunities of the next decade."

Both the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and Arts Council England declined to comment due to the pre-election purdah period.